5 Ways Cloud Hosting Helps To Keep Your Files Safe

Ensuring safety of client information is among the most significant challenges faced by businesses and firms, and they leave no stones unturned when it comes to securing this data. Businesses handling large volumes of client data, especially involving banking and other financial information require elaborate arrangements to safeguard this sensitive information. However, days when such data would be stored in huge hard drive spaces on in-house computers are fast fading, as cloud computing takes its hold. Information stored in computer systems within the enterprise is susceptible to multiple threats ranging from system breakdown to the sheer terror of a hacking attack. With cloud computing fast becoming the IT manager for firms, a futuristic data security system is gradually expanding its reach to businesses and enterprises.

Data Encryption:

Cloud computing functions on the principle of data encryption, which can be taken care of by industry standard encryption procedures, or by some proprietary system held in place by the cloud computing provider. The data travels as electronic signals, to and fro, between the client and the service provider, and this calls for strong security measures as the data can be intercepted en route to either of the parties. Service providers take care of this through the use of secure internet networks, which are further, fortified by firewalls and network detection systems, which keep a vigilant look for any suspicious transmission of signals within the network. The data of the client is encrypted through Internet Protocol Security and transmitted through secure HTTP terminals, eliminating the fear of data infringement.

Setting Permissions:

Cloud computing works on the basis of setting permissions to client data through the use of Access Control Lists which prevents unauthorized access of information. Access control architecture is implemented by the cloud service provider, which meets the clients’ requirements as to which party has access to the stored information. This becomes increasingly helpful in a virtual environment where multi-tenancy is prevalent. Unauthorized flow of information is curbed between such multi-tenant structures, significantly reducing the threats of side-channel attacks.

Web Application Firewalls:

Data centers handling cloud computing data implement separate web application firewalls to prevent against the unauthorized access of data and sensitive information. These firewalls significantly reduce the attack surface of applications, by effectively screening the defects in coding which might make the application vulnerable to security threats. The web application firewalls also come equipped with advanced intrusion prevention measures, which enhance the security of the stored data against malwares and other forms of attacks.

Automated Data Backups:

Client end computers store data locally, and this data can be lost with any malfunctioning of the end user computer systems. Cloud hosting ensures the back up of information, often multiple times a day, to keep the data updated. Most importantly these backups take place across multiple locations where the hosting provider might have its data centers. This serves a twofold purpose. Firstly the data is always available on the go through the secure internet connection of the service provider, whereby the clients can have access to their data even beyond the physical boundaries of their office or home. Secondly, and most importantly, the fear of data loss is reduced dramatically. Even if one data center is offline for some reason, the clients still have the data residing in the other data centers maintained by the service provider. On the contrary, if the client information was stored on local computers, the same could have been lost had there been any technical problems on such computers.

Physical Safety:

Data centers are located in secure environments which provide for physical security of the data facility through state of the art and redundant security measures. Such features can prove highly expensive if individual clients want to fortify their offices with surveillance measures like biometric systems and other intrusion prevention systems. The data centers of the service providers function on much larger scales, and as such enforce strict security regulations which prevent any unauthorized access or infringement of the stored data. As a result, the data centers become virtually impregnable fortresses, where the client data rests under complete security.

Author Bio:

Josephine Clark, Editor at QuickBooks Cloud Hosting DotCom spends considerable part of her time in writing about technology including quickbooks cloud hosting and Hosted PBX. When not writing, she loves to dig deeper into knowing the best and the latest technology in industry.